No Super Wal-Mart

There are four articles in the weekend paper, the one with news is on the Hawkins development.

Growth’s great divide; Most Moscow residents have a vision for the city’s future; agreeing on that vision is where things get blurry

By Omie Drawhorn, Daily News staff writer
Published: 05-27-2006

Most people in Moscow would like to see the city blossom and thrive. They just disagree on how to make that happen.

The possible development of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in east Moscow has revealed significant divisions in the community. One side wants to see the community profit and expand with the addition of large-scale retail development. The other side clings to the Moscow they have grown to love and thinks the character of Moscow would be threatened by the addition of “big-box” stores.

The City Council rejected a rezone request that would have allowed the development of a super center to begin, but different views on development in Moscow persist.

Nils Peterson, a Moscow resident and member of the grassroots group No Super Wal-Mart, said a Moscow without additional large-scale retail is more in tune with his vision of the town.

“I would like to see the kind of development that produces a community with an interesting texture,” he said.

This includes small block sizes and a mixture of businesses and residential development in the same neighborhood, much like Gritman Medical Center and its offices.

Peterson said he would like to see “the integration of offices into neighborhoods as opposed to a section of town designated for a single kind of development.”

Mark Solomon, a member of No Super Wal-Mart, said he would like to see Moscow grow from its core. The city could do that through creative reuse of the land between downtown and the University of Idaho, preserving Moscow’s character.

Peterson said people from outlying areas come to shop in Moscow because it offers a different kind of shopping, dining and entertainment mix. A super center does not figure into the equation.

Former City Councilwoman JoAnn Mack said Moscow doesn’t have to sacrifice its livability in favor of sprawl or development.

“Moscow can have both, but in trying to get one, we aren’t going to get anything,” she said. “If Moscow doesn’t grow, you’re going to see it die.”

Keeping Moscow unique comes with a cost, she said, and people need to be able to strike a balance between growth and the character of the city.

“I don’t think Moscow will turn into Coeur d’Alene or Boise,” Mack said.

Her comments were echoed by local Realtor Bill Morscheck, who said he doesn’t believe large-scale development would negatively affect Moscow residents’ way of life.

“I don’t see where responsible economic development threatens the community,” he said.

Mack and Morscheck are active in the recently formed Greater Moscow Alliance, which announced plans to be active in community discussions on growth.

Bill Parks said the debate over growth provides an opportunity for people from all sides to come together. The owner of Northwest River Supplies doesn’t support a super center in east Moscow, but he would like to see more light industrial zoning that could draw more high-tech business and people to the area.

“This is a chance for those of us seen as anti-growth to support some development,” he said. “Moscow is in danger of getting a reputation for being anti-development.”

Development of high-tech businesses appeals to Dan Carscallen, who says he’d like to see more businesses that fit into the Alturas Technology Park along the Troy Highway.

“But part of drawing in those types of businesses is to increase the retail base,” said Carscallen, who also serves on the board of the Greater Moscow Alliance. That means bringing in large-scale retail development.

“I’m not a big fan of Wal-Mart, but I don’t think it will hurt the town,” he said.

He said most of the downtown businesses are so specialized a Wal-Mart Supercenter would not affect them.

Location, location, location

For many Moscow residents, the location of development also comes into play.

Solomon said the west side of town is a better location for large-scale retail development if Moscow is trying to attract Pullman shoppers.

Parks agreed and said building on the west side would draw people to existing businesses, making them less likely to go dark.

Moscow resident Joann Muneta said the west side of town is more equipped to handle the increased traffic large-scale retail development would generate.

She said east Moscow already has a traffic problem, and shifting Pullman traffic through town would only make it worse.

But Carscallen said the Troy Highway is capable of handling high volumes of traffic. In addition, if a development went in, the developer would have to pay to upgrade the surrounding roads.

Most of the city’s residential development is occurring on the east side, Mack said. Providing more services on that side of town means less traffic going through Moscow’s downtown.

Carscallen, who lives on the east side of town, said he would rather bike to a store nearby for errands than drive to the other side of Moscow.

It’s the water

Some say the declining Grande Ronde aquifer could deter large-scale development anywhere in town. A recent study indicated that retail development of the size proposed for east Moscow would increase water use in Moscow by about 7.6 percent, a violation of the 1 percent annual growth limit put in place by members of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee.

But Mack said nobody really knows what the water situation is.

“Motor business uses less water than residential areas,” she said. “We need to stop using it as a no-growth excuse.”

She maintained the issue is whether businesses will have a place to expand.

With 15 acres of land zoned for motor business spread throughout town, 60 acres annexed into the city behind the Palouse Mall, and a 2 percent annual growth rate, some argue Moscow has more than enough land for businesses.

Solomon said additional land already is available in town.

Parks said increasing Moscow’s “retail footprint” won’t necessarily make it grow.

“The only way to do that is to take business from Pullman and surrounding areas,” he said.

But Morscheck said to let the businesses in question make that decision.

“I’m the kind of guy that likes to let the market scale determine what the community needs,” he said.

Property rights

Some people maintain that the Thompsons, who own the land that was proposed for the Wal-Mart Supercenter, should be able to do what they want with their land. Others say private property rights don’t come at the expense of the rest of the community.

Steve Busch, a local businessman and former city councilman, said he underwent a similar public hearing process when he developed his property.

“In our case, (the process) worked,” said Busch, chairman of the Greater Moscow Alliance. If the day comes when the council decides the Thompsons can’t do anything with the land, “then you are looking at a violation of private property rights.”

For now, Busch is looking forward to seeing what the next round brings.

Solomon said the Thompsons have every right to develop their property, but it should be done in a way that benefits Moscow.

“The effect on Moscow could be severe,” Parks said. “The good of the community sometimes has to trump the needs of an individual.”

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said in the midst of these differing opinions, receiving public input is a vital part of helping the City Council make its decision and different commissions make recommendations.

“I think we can find common ground,” she said. “We are all saying we want a certain quality of life here. I don’t think anyone is anti-growth.”

Omie Drawhorn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail at odrawhorn@dnews.com.

HIS VIEW: Palouse Basin aquifer system and the bucket

By Steve Robischon
Published: 05-26-2006

Regarding the May 20 Daily News article, “Aquifer stabilization could be years away,” I’ve come to understand that the Palouse Basin aquifer system is a complex beast, and that communicating specific details about the system in sound or word bites is difficult.

Please note that the ideas that follow are representative of my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee.

Consider if you will, two simple concepts.

First, envision the aquifer system as a large, buried bucket, filled with different types of sediment, rock layers and water, and covered with a blanket of Palouse soil known as loess.

Thanks in part to research funded by the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC), we know a lot about what types of rocks are in the bucket, how deep they are, and where the water lies within the bucket.

We also know how much water falls onto the surface, and that the cracks and spaces between the rocks in the upper part of the bucket are able to hold some of that water. How much of the water makes its way down to the lower levels of the bucket is not certain.

We have a good idea of how much water we humans are pumping out of the bucket, but we are not sure whether the bucket might also be leaking.

So, we know more about the bucket than we used to, but we still don’t understand everything about how it works.

Second, think of a sustainable water supply as being like a balanced checkbook. To maintain a water level balance, water “checks” written against the aquifer must be offset by equivalent water “deposits.”

If the water “balance” begins to fall, we can either write fewer checks or increase deposits. We might write fewer checks by employing more conservation, efficiency, and reuse measures. Or we might increase water deposits in the winter and spring months by capturing and utilizing some of the excess water that currently flows unused to the ocean.

So, there are things we might do to help balance our water checkbook.

At this high level, management of the aquifer system appears straightforward. But as with any complex system, the devil is in the details. For example, some will call for focus on cutting demand (writing fewer checks), while others will prefer to increase supply (increasing deposits). And no one wants to spend more than necessary to achieve the proper balance. Somewhere out there might be hiding a solution package that all Palouse residents can live with.

PBAC’s mission is “to ensure a long-term, quality water supply for the Palouse Basin region.” PBAC’s members, representing Moscow, Pullman and Colfax, Latah and Whitman counties, UI and WSU, are all dedicated to the identification and implementation of management approaches that will keep our water budget in balance for the long term.

PBAC cannot address water management issues alone. PBAC is partnering with groups such as the Citizens Advisory Group, the WRIA-34 Planning Unit, IDWR and WDOE, and the UI Water of the West program to craft a water management plan that will meet the needs of all Palouse residents, today and into the future.

There is much work to be done before we can feel confident that our water checkbook is balanced. Some difficult decisions will need to be made, and they most certainly will involve extended discussions among concerned members of the Palouse community. It will be no small task, but I believe that if we all work together and keep our eyes on the target, we’ll be able to realize a future in which our water supply is not a problem, but just another good thing about living on the Palouse.

Steve Robischon is the executive manager of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee.

The focus now is on capping the size of a retail establishment and preventing dark stores…

Wal-Mart opposition drops bid to change comp plan; Council denial of Thompson land rezone sparked move

By Omie Drawhorn, Daily News staff writer
Published: 05-23-2006

Four members of No Super Wal-Mart have dropped their battle to prevent large scale retail from developing on a 78-acre parcel of land in east Moscow.

Mark Solomon, Mike Curley, Nils Peterson and David Wilder, withdrew their application to amend the city’s comprehensive plan through a zone change from extensive commercial to a mix of light industrial and low-density residential. The application, filed Jan. 20, was based on a 560-signature petition signed by area residents.

“We felt that both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council’s reasons for denial of the Thompson rezone gave us enough assurance that we can see the type of development we hope to see out there without changing the comprehensive plan,” Solomon said today.

Solomon referred to the City Council’s rejection May 15 of the Gene Thompson family’s application to rezone their land from agriculture forestry to motor business. If the rezone had been approved, the land could have housed large-scale retail establishments with the approval of a conditional-use permit.

Located on the south side of State Highway 8, east side of South Mountain View Road and the north side of Palouse River Drive, the Thompson land has been at the center of controversy since Nov. 10, when Wal-Mart submitted an application to build a super center on the land.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended March 22 that the City Council deny the No Super Wal-Mart members’ application. Solomon said he is confident the council’s decision would be upheld if the Thompsons appeal the rezone denial.

Omie Drawhorn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail at odrawhorn@dnews.com.

Council nixes east side rezone

Size of parcel drove decision, councilmen say

By Omie Drawhorn Daily News staff writer
Published: 05-16-2006

Wal-Mart may need to find a different location if it wants to build a super center in Moscow.

Wal-Mart’s plans for a super center on a 77-acre parcel of land were thwarted Monday night after the Moscow City Council quickly voted against a rezone application. In a 3-2 vote, the City Council rejected a requests to rezone the land currently zoned agriculture forestry to motor business. The land, owned by the Gene Thompson family, is in east Moscow between the Troy Highway and East Palouse River Drive, east of South Mountain View Road.

Council members were divided after hearing more than four hours of public testimony during a council meeting two weeks ago. The acreage was annexed into the city last summer, and the city’s comprehensive plan was altered to allow for extensive commercial. But the comprehensive plan designation merely acts as a guide for development and is not legally binding, said Joel Plaskon, Moscow community development director.

He said that while motor business may be the most appropriate zone for extensive commercial, the property legally could be zoned for less intense commercial.

Councilwoman Linda Pall, who had recused herself from voting on the rezone, was absent from the meeting due to a stay in the hospital.

Councilmen Aaron Ament, John Dickinson and Bob Stout voted against the rezone. They said the parcel of land was too big.

“Seventy-seven acres is too much,” Stout said. “I don’t know how much is the right amount, but I don’t think the city is ready for it.”

But councilmen John Weber and Bill Lambert said the town needs extra motor business land. “It’s very justifiable in our community. We haven’t had land zoned motor business in over a decade, and this is a parcel of land that will take a number of years to develop,” Lambert said. “We need available land for an array of businesses.”

Plaskon said there are between 12-15 acres of motor business within the city of Moscow in addition to 40-60 acres behind the Palouse Mall that were annexed into the city last year.

Lambert said he also was concerned about the proposed development on the Pullman-Moscow Highway next to the state line.

“Let’s not lose the tax base across the border,” he said.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the rezone March 8, citing scale and a desire to move toward mixed-use zoning.

“Planning and Zoning’s denial was referred to as ‘pleasant’,” Dickinson said. “Take this in its pleasantness and come back with something we can enjoy.”

Ament said he favored development on the west side of town opposed to the east.

“Space available on the west side would be an effective deterrent to development across the border,” Ament said.

Weber said Moscow has the regulations in place to control what kind of development goes on the parcel of land with a large scale retail ordinance passed in February.

Mark Solomon, a member of the local No Super Wal-Mart group, said he was pleased with the council’s decision.

The “council heard the people of the city of Moscow. They made their decision for all the right reasons,” he said.

Shelley Bennett, co-owner of Eastside Marketplace and a Realtor representing the Thompson family, said the council’s decision wasn’t unexpected.

Karianne Fallow, senior manager of public affairs for Wal-Mart, said she was disappointed.

“The City Council members don’t have the foresight to develop in conjunction with the comprehensive plan,” she said. “I look forward to continuing a dialogue in the Palouse. A number of customer surveys show us time and again it’s what people want.”

Fallow said appealing the council’s decision would be up to the Gene Thompson family. Ted Thompson, a family spokesperson, did not comment on whether an appeal would be filed.

The appeal would go to district court, said City Attorney Randy Fife.

An appeal must be filed within 28 days of the final decision by the City Council.

“The council’s decision is reasonably difficult to overturn,” Fife said.

QUICKREAD

* What happened

The Moscow City Council denied the rezone from
agriculture/forestry to motor business of a 77-acre parcel of land in east Moscow.

* What it means

Plans to develop the property cannot move forward.

* What’s next

The Thompson family has the option of appealing the City Council’s decision in District Court.
Omie Drawhorn can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail at odrawhorn@dnews.com.

Appearing DNews 5/8

I emphatically oppose the rezoning of the 77 acres on State Highway 8 in Moscow.

When I moved to Moscow in 1990 to attend the University of Idaho, I did not appreciate Moscow’s unique qualities. I eventually grew to love Moscow. Despite this, I moved from the Palouse to a large metropolitan area and I was constantly reminded of what I had left behind. While living in the city, the maze of crowded highways, pedestrian unfriendly areas, dying downtowns and big-box stores deepened my love and understanding of Moscow’s seemingly unique sanity. I eventually returned to Moscow with my wife to raise our children in the best possible place we could find.

We moved back both for what Moscow has and what Moscow does not have. We moved here to escape the sprawl and the big-box stores. Moscow grew slightly when we moved here, and my story is not unique. Moscow grew and will continue to grow because it does not have large numbers of big-box stores.

This particular 77 acres is special and should not be rezoned to motor-business. It is too close to the cemetery, the South Fork of the Palouse River and the Latah Trail. A large big-box store at this location would obstruct views of Tomer Butte. In addition, the east side of Moscow has large tracts of vacant retail space at the Eastside Marketplace and former Tidyman’s. Obviously, the east side of Moscow has a glut of retail space. While the landowner has undeniable property rights, development of this land affects the broader community. The City Council must weigh the rights and interests of all involved. I sincerely hope that they will reject the rezoning of the 77 acres for motor business.

Luke Sheneman, Moscow

Community divided on rezone; City Council will decide May 15 on acreage eyed by Wal-Mart for a super center

By Omie Drawhorn Daily News staff writer
Published: 05-02-2006

A crowd of about 120 people packed Moscow City Council chambers Monday night to speak out on, or witness, the latest action in a controversial rezone application that could bring a Wal-Mart Supercenter to east Moscow.

A yes vote could bring a mixture of stores and homes to a 77-acre chunk of undeveloped land, said supporters of the proposed rezone.

Opponents weren’t so sure. Many people fear a rezone would unleash a floodgate of retail development that would crowd out any hope for a healthy mix of neighborhood residential construction.

Middle ground was hard to find during the meeting as council members heard testimony in support of and in opposition to the rezoning of the land between the Troy Highway and East Palouse River Drive, east of South Mountain View Road.

Developers want the zoning changed from agriculture forestry to motor business, and Wal-Mart wants to build a super center if that happens.

The hallway was filled to overflowing, with people who couldn’t fit into the council chambers watching the meeting on a television screen. Less than 10 people watched from the 1912 Center, which had been reserved for audience overflow.

The ramifications of the rezone decision stretch beyond a yes or no vote on this particular application.

“We need something more certain than ‘trust us,’ ” said Jim Siebe, attorney for No Super Wal-Mart, a grassroots coalition against the building of the super center. “There’s nothing to compel them to build mixed use when the application is approved.”

But Jack McCullough, Seattle attorney for the Gene Thompson family, owners of the land, and Wal-Mart which wants to build on it, said the City Council has the power to ensure that development occurs the way the city wants.

“We’re not asking you to trust us. Make sure you put conditions on the rezone to ensure protection,” McCullough said.

The City Council refrained from making a decision Monday night. After hearing testimony until 11:45 p.m., council members voted to discuss public testimony, staff reports and the recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission before making a decision at the May 15 council meeting.

Councilwoman Linda Pall recused herself due to a previous comment she had made while discussing Wal-Mart with a member of the Gene Thompson family.

“I said, ‘Boy, I sure hope you’re not planning a Wal-Mart out there’ Š and in no uncertain terms I said it was a terrible idea,” Pall said.

Thompson family member Garrett Thompson maintained the rezone is in the best interest of the city.

“Our goal is to contribute healthy growth to the city of Moscow,” he said. “Please give us a chance to show you this can be an asset.”

The story behind the meeting began last summer, when the acreage was annexed into the city. The city’s comprehensive plan map designation was changed to extensive commercial at that time. But the comprehensive plan designation merely acts as a guide for development and is not legally binding, said Joel Plaskon, Moscow community development director. He said motor business may be the most appropriate zone for extensive commercial. The property legally could be zoned for less intense commercial.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the rezone March 8, citing scale and a desire to move toward mixed use zoning.

Plaskon said there are between 12-15 acres of motor business within the city of Moscow in addition to 40-60 acres behind the Palouse Mall that were annexed into the city last year.

But McCullough said the biggest parcel of motor business in town is seven acres, not large enough to house significant retail development.

Those in support of the rezone argued last night that:

n More commercial development is needed on the east side of town;

n Moscow needs more motor business zoning; and

n The Thompson family has the right to do what it wishes with the property

Those against argued:

n The rezone would be a violation of the comprehensive plan;

n Transportation and water concerns could be compromised;

n The rezone would interfere with the Latah Trail;

n The scale of development the rezone would allow; and

n Lack of retail demand.

“This is not an issue of pro-growth or no growth,” said Linda Pike of Moscow, a candidate for District 3 Latah County commissioner. “… It’s simply too large. It doesn’t go with what we need here,” she said.

Rick Beebe, Moscow real estate developer disagreed. “This piece of property is the best piece in Moscow we have for this kind of development,” Beebe said.

Diane French of the Palouse Water Conservation District said retail development at the proposed scale would increase water use in Moscow by about 7.6 percent, a violation of the 1 percent annual growth limit.

Jim Mital of Protect Our Water, a local nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of ground water resources, said Moscow doesn’t have the water to support such a development.

“Just because we build it doesn’t mean water will come,” he said.

Supporters of the rezone maintain the proposed east side location is best for the community.

“Our growth in residential areas is to the east, not west,” said Jim Demeerleer, owner of the Furniture Center in Moscow.

But Gerard Connelly, owner of Tri-State, balks at the thought of the retail development being so close to the Moscow Cemetery, literally just across the highway.
“I hate the thought of spending eternity watching all those people go in and out of the unnamed business,” he said.

Another overflow crowd, with some confusion remaining about the venue. Matt Ivers brought his Architecture Masters project (drawings and a model) for display in the lobby (not for testimony). Matt’s project explored making a mixed use “more Moscow” demonstration of what could be done on the site.

Linda Pall recused herself because of opinions she had expressed to one of the land owners that locating a Wal-Mart on the site would be a ‘bad idea.’ She expressed a concern to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. She remained at the dias to listen.

Joel Plakson droned on with what appeared to be the same powerpoint. Among his report, 3500 trip ends peak hour on Saturday and 34,000 trip ends for the whole of a Saturday. The present use has 4.5K trips per day on Highway 8. Is that a typo, or could there really be 10x as many cars? Hwy 8 west sees 15,ooo cars/day now.

Staff recommended rezoning at least a significant part to Motor Business with conditions to provide buffers to the Latah Trail. The applicant continue to follow this theme, suggesting that some smaller portion might be OK, a PUD overly would be OK, anything to get past this hurdle would be OK.

NoSuperWalMart had provided the council a “blue binder” with traffic and retail studies. These caught the attention of the applicant and they spent energy refuting aspects of those studies.

Further, the applicant crafted many elements of their presentation to make gestures toward Smart Growth, Mixed Use and ‘the new urbanism.’ This was a challenging aspect of their presentation because it was not the topic of the discussion.

This whole process underlines that Moscow needs a different approach for conducting its planning procedures. The trust us model doesn’t seem to be operative; maybe with a good cap on the size of big box retail.

The meeting ran to 11:30, the public testimony portion was completed, ending with Paul Kimmel’s general comments about the Chamber’s recent survey.

The Thompson Rezone hearing for the Walmart site is in the City Council Chambers. There was incorrect reporting in the Daily News on Saturday (repeated by us here). What the article should have read is if the crowd attending is too large for the council chambers, overflow will be directed to the 1912 Bldg where they will provide some type of communication link to the hearing. How that is going to work, I haven’t the faintest clue.

I strongly urge anyone who is planning on attending to arrive half an hour or more early to city hall to make sure you are in the hearing room. That’s 6:30! The hearing begins at 7:00.

At 8:50 AM -0700 5/1/06, Joel Plaskon wrote:
Mark:

The hearing will be in the Council Chambers, as advertised in the
hearing notice. I’m not aware of any plans for us to do anything
related to the hearing in the 1912 center tonight.

Joel D. Plaskon
Moscow Community Development Director
P.O.B. 9203
Moscow, ID 83843
(208) 883-7011

Correction to the item below, see this!

The May 1 City Council meeting to decide the rezone for the Thompson property in east Moscow (aka Walmart site) has been moved to the great room of the 1912 center 412 East 3rd St (just up the street from City Hall). Meeting time is 7PM.

We expect the landowner is organizing supporters to be present, and, based on what happened March 22, organizing them to arrive early. You should try to come early also.

On Monday May 1, the City Council will hear an appeal from CLC Developers of Spokane to rezone 77 acres across the Troy Highway from the Moscow Cemetery to Motor Business. If approved the rezone will allow big box stores such as SuperWalMart to locate in Moscow. On March 8, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denying the rezone saying:

“A 40% increase in MB based retail may overburden Moscow’s retail stock. One 77-acre development at one moment, all as MB uses, would be out-of-scale and might unduly impact existing infrastructure unless mitigating development aspects are incorporated. The approval of this rezone would permanently remove a large amount of property from the potential for mixed use development and smart growth considerations.”

Talking points, email addresses and more can be found on the NoSuperWalMart site.